The Preseason All State Showcase took place on Sunday Jan. 30th at the P27 Baseball Performance Center along with Lexington Ballpark in Lexington, South Carolina. Prospects from the event came from around the Palmetto state on what turned out to be a wonderful winter afternoon.  

A premier event for premier talent in South Carolina, we have seen a lot of very talented prospects workout at this event prior to their spring season.  Coming off each individual player's preseason workout, this event tends to see players blow up their numbers, giving coaches and scouts a reason to take notice as they prep their spring schedules for evaluation. 

The event began with pitcher bullpens with each pitch tracked by Trackman, along with Pitch AI.  A pro-style workout for all the position players followed that included the 60 yard dash, BP with TrackMan ball flight analysis, and a defensive evaluation. 

Below we will look at the quick hitters from the position players for the event.

 

CLICK HERE to see full stats and roster

 

QUICK HITTERS - POSITION PLAYERS

 

Ethan Clinton, RHP, Clover HS, 2022 – Lean frame, standing 6-foot-4.  Simple rocker and turn, stable through balance.  Slightly closed working to some cross-fire in his foot strike.  Medium arm swing with some elbow lead.  Over-the-top slot.  Average arm speed.  Fastball at 82-85, spinning at 2349rpm on average.  Solid ride out of the hand.  Breaking ball spun at 2105rpm.

Ben Rehkow, RHP, South Pointe HS, 2022 – Committed to USC Lancaster shortly after the event.  Strength present at 6-foot, 175 pounds.  Coils the lower half with a stable head.  Long arm swing.  Strong arm.  High-3/4 release with a quick arm.  Fastball peaked at 85 with a max spin of 2309rpm.  Slider was late with solid action across the zone, spinning on average at 2319rpm.

Justin Willis, RHP, Clover HS, 2022 – Lean, athletic frame at 6-foot, 175 pounds.  Coils the lower half, working to keep the head stable.  Slightly closed at balance.  Long arm swing.  Choppy rhythm but gets to a consistent release.  High-3/4 slot.  Average arm speed.  Fastball peaked at 79 with solid ride and some arm side run.  Breaking ball sweeps out of the hand, maxing at 2211rpm.

Ben Brash, RHP, South Aiken HS, 2023 – Physical on the mound at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds.  Simple delivery with a short leg kick.  Level, medium arm swing to a high-3/4 slot.  Solid arm speed.  Fastball peaked at 85 with sink metrics and 1:30 spin tilt out of the hand.  Slider is short with some depth, up to 77, spinning at 2284rpm.

Andrew Buffkin, RHP, Carolina Forest HS, 2023 – Average frame.   Athletic build.  Simple delivery with a stable head.  Slight cross-fire at foot strike.  Medium arm swing to a high-3/4 slot with solid arm speed.  Fastball ranged 84-86 with average ride and arm side run out of the hand.  Early 11/5 or 10/4 action on the breaking ball.  Some length while spinning at 1879rpm

Noah Chapman, LHP, Summerville HS, 2023 – One of the big winners from the Preseason All-State.  Stands with a strong frame at 6-foot, 180 pounds.  Bumped 90 with a spin rate maxing out at 2361rpm.  Solid ride with 13in of horizontal break out of the hand, spinning at 10:45 at release.  Big kick with some pelvic tilt.  Up tempo delivery.  Long arm swing works to a high-3/4 slot.  Intent and arm speed are present at the break through release.  Solid direction.  Curveball with an average spin rate of 2319rpm, peaking at 76. 

Jacob Cogdell, RHP, Chapman HS, 2023 – Average frame with some strength present.  Strong lower half.  Short arm action working to load the scapular.  High-3/4 slot.  Average to above arm speed.  Fastball peaked at 84 with heavy arm side run out of the hand.  Sweeping breaking ball has length at 67-69, spinning at 2082rpm.

Samuel Czyz, RHP, Clover HS, 2023 – Athletic presence with a lean frame.  Quick arm through an over-the-top slot.  Fastball at 84-86 with good ride through the zone and 12:45 spin tilt at release.  Short slider works to sweep, spinning up to 2239rpm.

Jake McCoy, LHP, Catawba Ridge HS, 2023 – Committed to Wofford shortly after the event.  Has added strength to his 6-foot frame.  Athletic presence and delivery with solid direction.  Athletic arm is extremely quick through a high-3/4 slot.  Fastball up to 91.2mph and spinning on average at 2226rpm.  11:15 spin tilt out of the hand.  Flashed a hard breaking ball with 10/4 tilt.  Still maturing and may add depth or length as it grows.  Spun up to 2232rpm. 

Shemar Simes, RHP, Darlington HS, 2023 – Another eye popping performance from the physical 6-foot-1, 220 pounder.  Imposing presence on the mound.  Works with pace.  Simple and stable over the rubber with his hands rested at the belt until breaking them.  Long, loose arm swing.  Strong, athletic arm works to a high-3/4 slot.  Whippy and quick.  Solid direction with good intent.  Fastball at 88-91 with arm side run.  Slider is still maturing but flashed late darting action at 74-77.

Josh Smith, LHP, Wren HS, 2023 – Lean 5-foot-11 frame.  Simple rocker and turn.  Small pelvic tilt as he lifts to balance.  Long arm action, bottoming out and getting to an over-the-top slot.  Average arm speed.  Fastball at 80-82 with good ride through the zone. 

Cole Bellinger, RHP, Greer HS, 2024 – Strong frame with a muscular lower half.  Fights to build tempo through the delivery working level and on-line.  Long, clean arm swing to an over-the-top slot.  Average to above arm speed.  Fastball up to 85 with sink metrics and run out of the hand.  Breaking ball worked with late 11/5 tilt.

Cole Canty, RHP, Rock Hill HS, 2024 – Frame is still maturing, with length present at 6-foot-3.  Side saddle and stable through balance, working level and online.  Long arm swing bottoms out, working back to an over-the-top slot.  Average to above arm speed.  Fastball peaked with 2136rpm and 80.3mph.  Solid ride through the zone. 

Hunter Howard, RHP, JL Mann HS, 2024 – Lean frame with plenty of room to continue to add strength, standing 6-foot-1.  Tall over the rubber closing at balance slightly.  Good rhythm, building through the delivery.  Short arm action working to load the scapular.  High-3/4 release with good arm speed.  Fastball peaked at 85.6 with sink metrics.  Breaking ball flashed tight 11/5 tilt spinning up to 2106rpm

Lane McGaha, RHP, Belton Honea Path HS, 2024 – Lean frame that will continue to add strength.  Slower tempo through foot strike.  Stable over the rubber.  Long arm swing reaches a bit in the back, working to a high-3/4 slot.  Arm strength over arm speed.  Fastball up to 84 with good ride through the zone.

Cooper Queen, LHP, York Comprehensive, 2024 – Short turn and leg kick, paired with a short arm swing.  Over-the-top release.  Average to above arm speed.  Fastball at 79, with solid ride through zone, playing true out of the hand.  Breaking ball has sweepy action with occasional depth at 65-67, spinning up to 2222rpm.

Cooper Coleman, RHP, West Florence, 2025 – Still maturing frame.  Clean and stable over the rubber with a loose arm swing, early to the top, releasing through a high-3/4 slot.  Fastball maxed out at 81.5mph and 2296rpm.